Sune Rose Wagner is a pretty insouciant character. Not surprising really – last year he accepted death. When a Hawaiian holiday went wrong, there looked to be no way back. “I was surfing, but I can’t really surf. My board almost knocked me out; I was stranded for half an hour, nobody could see me. I just let go, I felt very warm and calm. I wasn’t afraid.” Thankfully for him, and for devotees of his band’s inimitable brand of garage-pop, some fortuitously-placed coral reef intervened. A few months on, The Raveonettes have returned with a new album. It’s no wonder the pressures of a hectic touring schedule seem a rather minuscule grievance. Gigwise has found a genuinely humble rock star.
Don’t confuse this humility with contentment though. New album Lust Lust Lust is the result of a brooding, self-examination for Sune, its sole songwriter. As the title suggests, it deals with issues of relationships. “It’s primarily based on personal experiences,” he admits. “It’s a reflection of my life in New York City.” As he glances around at the stuffy underground changing room we’re sitting in, it’s clear he’s a long way from home. The cosmopolitanism of The Big Apple can be heard in the variety of influences and styles The Raveonettes utilise. But so can a more sinister side; the paranoia of frenzied city life, the claustrophobia that can destroy relationships. Sune remarks: “Sometimes I wonder, is it natural for a man and a woman to spend their entire life together?”
This gives away his need for solitude. “I never write when I’m on tour. I can’t write unless I’m alone, all my ideas go away when I’m with other people.” Does this explain the lack of songwriting involvement for Sharin Foo, The Raveonettes' demure female singer/guitarist? “I tried writing with Sharin; we went away to a winery to write together. But I just froze…..She’s happy that I write the songs, it’s always been that way.” The personal feel of tracks such as ‘Blush’ and ‘Black Satin’ – Sune’s ode to his near-death experience – is rooted in Sune’s insular but prolific songwriting style.
While Sune lives in New York, Sharin, his fellow Dane, resides nearly 3000 miles away in Los Angeles. He ponders the make-up of The Raveonettes. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like a band as we’re often apart. Yet we always seem to be doing something together.” Onstage, the duo is a much clearer partnership. When thinking of boy-girl two-pieces in modern rock, The White Stripes immediately spring to mind. The musical make-up of that pairing mirrors The Raveonettes in that the male is the songwriter and driving force behind the sound. But live, the connection between the two bands ends. Whereas Jack White dominates, a virtuoso performer, Sune and Sharin are grounded in parity, as their harmonious singing and sparring guitars illustrate. “We never even talk about it,” assures a perplexed-looking Sune. “It’s just natural.”
Sharin brings luscious vocals and a carefree stage presence to the band, complimenting Sune’s reserved manner in front of a crowd. But they aren’t born entertainers, believing the intricacy of the music they create is enough to enrapture their audiences. “We just got off a tour with The Cribs, they were really cool guys. They play with such energy, just go crazy. I was like, ‘Why don’t we have that?’ But we have a different style; still intense, just different.”
What overrides everything Sune does is a delight in control. He took personal command over Lust Lust Lust’s artwork, convincing The Raveonettes label to spend the cash to make it 3D. “I thought there’s no way Fierce Panda would agree to it, so I did a sales pitch to them, and they bought it.” Being in charge onstage is also important to him. “I prefer our own gigs, where if we fuck up, we can laugh about it. I’m more nervous at festivals, where people might not know our band and you don’t know how many will turn up. We’ll hopefully do lots of festivals this summer – Reading, Glastonbury – I’ll be checking the schedules to see who we’re up against!”
There are few bands in direct competition with The Raveonettes style. They’re still all B-Movie chic, fashionably alternative with just enough substance. Groups like The Ronettes influence their 50s/60s vibe, though the experimentation and melodious tendancies of The Velvet Underground are equally evident. “I still listen to the same stuff I always have, but everything around me influences. Recently, I Googled Best Screenplay Oscar winners from the 1970s, got hold of these obscure films and now some of them are my favourites. I like searching…”
This absorption of pop culture extends to technology, which Sune is keen to use to involve fans in the band’s progress. “We posted lots of demos onto MySpace, and we take the comments from fans into account. I love that closeness.” They are also giving away tickets to their current UK tour to fans that send messages asking for them. For a band four albums and seven years into their career, they have a remarkable openness. This extends to critical responses to their music. “I don’t mind if reviewers give the album two out of ten or eight, as long as they have an opinion. Don’t give it a six, have something to say about it. Give me something I can use.”
The urge for feedback of any kind stems from a writer’s mindset. The Raveonettes new album is barely released, but Sune’s attention is already turning to how to make the next one better. “I wanna go home and write really fucked up songs. More fucked up than these ones. I wrote 100 songs for Lust, and will have that many again for the next one.” But surely his enthusiasm wanes with the constant grind of touring and recording? “I get to write and to play music, I don’t have to get up in the morning and I get to hear my songs on the radio – I love that shit!” If nearly drowning leaves everybody with such intensity, creativity and enthusiasm, maybe we should all take up surfing.
No comments:
Post a Comment